"I was told by management (John Baruck) that we all would take all of 2019 off," Schon wrote on his blog, "except for possibly a few dates near the end of the year leading into 2020 and that Jonathan Cain [and] Steve Smith [had] other things they wanted to do. At that point I decided to go out and have some fun with Gregg Rolie, Deen Castronovo, Marco Mendoza, Marti Frederiksen and Chris Collins and dip into our catalog - deep tracks (from the beginning and beyond)."

The Journey Through Time tour's origins can be found in a concert Schon performed this past February. The evening, a benefit for the victims of the fires that devastated the North Bay in October 2017, featured Schon, Castronovo, Rolie and Mendoza reaching deep into Journey's catalog, with many songs coming from Rolie's tenure as their lead singer.

Castronovo, who had been in Journey for 17 years before personal issues led to his dismissal, said, “I miss the music. ... There’d be times I’d be walking with my drum tech in an arena and I’d just stop and go, ‘Dude, I play for Journey!’ It was a cool thing and I’m very, very grateful that they gave me that opportunity.”

Schon says that fans attending the tour - whose dates have not been announced yet - can expect "the whole catalog with many surprises," later noting, "I'll be playing music from EVERY album and mixing it up constantly."